Konoha's Little Dark Secret
by Glitter Queen Aila Midori
Summary: AU: AU: After being experimented on by Konoha scientists, Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru are very powerful and very insane. Watch out Konoha, they're out for blood. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Naruto. The idea for this fanfic came from ****Raw**** by ContraryMaryBee.**

Chapter 1: Intro

A blonde boy walked down the street. He wore black shorts with a dark orange shirt and a black vest. His weapons pouch was on his hip. He was grinning, but his eyes held malice. He was joined by a brunette boy wearing black shorts with a black shirt. The brunette boy appeared bored, but if one looked closely, they could see the malice in his eyes.

"So Naruto, anything interesting happen?" the brunette asked. The blonde boy, Naruto, shook his head.

"This village is so stinkin' boring! There's nothing to do!" he complained. He looked at his companion and continued,

"But you would know that better than anyone, wouldn't you Shikamaru?" The brunette, Shikamaru, chuckled and was about to reply when a feminine voice cut in.

"Naruto! Shikamaru! You won't believe how wonderful a dream I had," a blonde girl wearing a black and purple dress with black shorts called as she approached. When she reached them, she sighed and continued,

"I had this wonderful dream of being on the battlefield. There was blood everywhere and I killed so many people!" Naruto looked jealous while Shikamaru just shrugged.

"Anyway, we'd better get to the academy. Today is exam day," he said. The three students immediately leapt into a race to the academy. They arrived at the same time, not even winded. They went to class. As the walked in, the room fell silent. Most of the students were scared of the three kids who walked in. They sat down, smirking at the silence. Naruto could feel the Uchiha heir glaring at him. Shikamaru felt a pity look and spun around glaring at the person who gave them the pity look. He turned back around and laid his head down on the desk. Ino wasn't paying attention to the other students. Instead she was cleaning and sharpening some of her weapons. Their teacher, Iruka, walked in and cleared his throat.

"Alright class, it's time to start the written test." He handed out the test. Naruto didn't even bother looking at it. Shikamaru finished it in five seconds and resumed his nap. Ino doodled on her test, humming a tune under her breath. The test time finished and Iruka called for them to hand their tests in.

"Now, it's time for the practical portion," he said, leading the class outside.

"I will call students alphabetically. When it's your turn try to hit the target," Iruka instructed. Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru shared some snickers.

"Aburame, Shino!" The boy from the clan of bug users stepped forward. The shuriken and kunai were close to the middle of the target.

"Akimichi Choji!" The chubby boy stepped forward. His shuriken were all over the target.

"Haruno Sakura!" The pink haired girl stepped up. Her's was reasonably good, considering she came from a civilian family.

"Hyuuga Hinata!" The shy girl stepped up. Her kunai hit the target dead center.

"Inuzuka Kiba!" The brash boy came forward. His shuriken were all over the place.

"Nara Shikamaru!" Silence fell as he stepped forward. His shuriken hit the target close enough to the center that it would be a lethal blow anyways.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" The Uchiha heir stepped up. His shuriken hit the target dead center.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The boy stepped forward. His kunai hit dead center and buried themselves up to the hilt.

"Yamanaka Ino!" The blonde girl stepped forward. Her kunai and shuriken were all over the target. The teachers could barely see the target. The teachers led them back inside.

"Wait for us to call your name," Iruka said. Chaos broke out after the teachers left. Sasuke marched over to where Naruto sat.

"Why are you acting so tough? You're not so strong," he sneered. Naruto's glare stopped him in his tracks.

"Go away. You're interrupting my naptime," Shikamaru grumbled. However right then, Shikamaru's name was called. The boy grumbled as he made his way to the testing room. It wasn't long before he returned with a forehead protector tied to his left sleeve. Sasuke was called and passed. Naruto was up and passed without a problem. Ino went and came out flashing her forehead protector at her friends.

The next day, the teams would be decided. Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino arrived early. Once everyone was seated, Iruka started telling them who went where.

"Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. Your Jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

"Team Eight is Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino. Your Jounin sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Team Ten, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Akimichi Chouji. Your Jounin sensei is Sarutobi Asuma. Your senseis will be along shortly to pick you up." With that, Iruka left. The Jounin came and picked up their students. Soon, only Team Seven was left. When the door finally opened, Kakashi Hatake had to dodge a volley of senbon. Shikamaru glared at the Jounin. Ino was watching with glee and Naruto had a manic grin on his face.

"Meet me on the roof in ten minutes," he instructed them before poofing away. The genin rolled their eyes and went up to the roof.

* * *

Kakashi surveyed his genin team. The girl was sitting there watching him and humming a tune under her breath. Actually, she was acting quite childish. The brunette boy appeared to be lazy, as he was just staring at the clouds. The blonde boy glared at Kakashi as if telling him to get this started.

"Introduce yourselves. Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and your dream," Kakashi instructed, "You first." He pointed at Ino.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. I like blood and screams and torture. I dislike pink and girly girls. My dreams are none of your business," the girl said happily.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru. I like napping, watching clouds, torture and killing. I dislike authority figures and idiots. My dreams are also none of your business," the brunette boy said lazily.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, torture and killing. I dislike a lot of things. My dreams aren't any of your business either," the blonde boy said. Kakashi had to keep from blinking. Wait, did those kids just say they like torture and killing?

"Tomorrow, there is a secondary test. Meet at the seventh training ground. You probably shouldn't eat breakfast, you might get sick" Kakashi said. The genin snorted. Kakashi vanished in a poof. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"That guy is so transparent," he grumbled, "This secondary test is obviously about teamwork. He would try to pit us against each other by using only two bells. He told not to eat anything so we wouldn't be at full strength. He's such an idiot." Naruto and Ino nodded. Ino clapped her hands.

"Ooh, we should go to the weapons store!" she declared. The boys shrugged and followed the blonde girl to their regular weapons store. Naruto browsed in the swords section. Shikamaru walked through the store, surveying the various weapons. Ino went to the assorted weapons section. Naruto grinned as he hefted a large sword. Shikamaru decided on a relatively small double sided scythe. Ino, after much consideration, chose a set of Neko Te. After they finished up at the weapons store, they went their separate ways and headed home.

**With the tests, I only talked about the important people. That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Naruto. **

Chapter 2: Bell Test

The Genin arrived at the training ground early and waited. After waiting for a few hours, Kakashi finally showed up. He was met by three glares.

"So, shall we get this bell test underway?" Shikamaru asked, enjoying Kakashi's look of surprise.

"How did you know about the bell test?" he asked. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and grumbled about 'transparent senseis'. Kakashi held up two bells.

"In the test, you must get these bells from me. Whoever doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy. You have until noon. Whoever gets a bell gets lunch. Whoever doesn't will be tied to that pole and be forced to watch me eat my lunch." The three Genin just looked at him before they burst out laughing.

"You're actually trying to turn us against each other! I didn't think you were that stupid!" Ino said, laughing and giggling.

"The last person who tried to turn against each other is now in the ground," Naruto added. They stopped laughing.

"Well, it's time to start the test," Kakashi said, "Come at me with the intent to kill." The Genin grinned savagely.

"Okay, start," Kakashi said. The Genin surrounded him. He noticed that they had situated themselves so that if any blows missed, they wouldn't hit the other members. Senbon came from one direction and a multitude of various weapons came from another. He leapt backwards and remembered too late that Naruto was there. Naruto grinned as Kakashi landed. With one punch he sent the Jounin flying. Kakashi twisted in mid air to land on his feet and a purple, black and blonde blur breezed by him. He moved, but no longer heard the bells.

"Looking for these?" Ino asked innocently, holding up the two bells.

"So which teammate will you give one to?" Kakashi asked.

"We told what happened to the last person who tried to turn us against each other," Naruto snapped. Shikamaru yawned.

"This was too easy," he complained.

"You're Genin fighting a Jounin. How is that easy?" he asked.

"You're too easy to read. I knew all about the test once you told me that there was a second test. You had never had a Genin team, meaning you most likely pitted them against each other to make them not think about teamwork. If they managed to overcome their sense of competition, they would pass. Apparently they never did. You told us not to eat breakfast so we wouldn't be at full strength. We ate breakfast anyway, we're not squeamish," Shikamaru explained. Kakashi was surprised that the Genin figured everything out.

"Fine, we'll have some spars to test your combat readiness," Kakashi allowed, "Each of you will fight me individually. Who's first?" Shikamaru stepped forward. Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow.

"I have the most self control out of all of us," he explained. Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha book. He fully expected the Genin to come charging at him. When nothing happened, he looked up to see senbon flying at him. He back flipped, only to notice in midair that Shikamaru had set spikes on the ground.

_ "When did he do that?" _However, Kakashi didn't have time to think about that. He tried his best to dodge most of the spikes, but a few still caught him. More senbon came flying and Kakashi deflected them with a kunai. Shuriken and kunai came flying next. Kakashi couldn't make out the ninja wire. When the weapons doubled back, he made sure to cut the wire. When he turned back to where Shikamaru was, the boy was no longer there. Kakashi kept his eyes and ears open. Suddenly Shikamaru appeared in front of him. The boy smirked before bursting into feathers.

_ "Genjustu? When did he…?" _Kakashi didn't think about it and quickly released the genjutsu. The spikes and fallen ninja tools vanished. Shikamaru was in the same spot as when he had been speaking.

_ "How? Any pain he inflicted should have cancelled the genjutsu, but it didn't. These injuries are real."_ Kakashi felt woozy.

"That would be the poison currently in your system. It's a relatively rare find, but I do have some. If you don't get the antidote in ten minutes, it'll cause paralysis and eventually shut down your muscles," Shikamaru explained lazily, "I could give you the antidote or I could keep it to myself." He turned to his teammates.

"Should I give him the antidote?" he asked them. Ino giggled like a deranged school girl. Naruto grinned.

"Good fight Shika, but it could have used more blood." Shikamaru shrugged.

"There's always next time," he said, holding the antidote out to Kakashi. The Jounin reached for it, but he couldn't move from his spot and it was just out of reach. Shikamaru shook the vial a little. The smirk on his face left Kakashi wondering why the kids were so sadistic. Minutes ticked by. Ino looked at her friend.

"Give him the antidote. I want to fight!" she said. Shikamaru sighed as if disappointed that the torture would stop and handed Kakashi the vial.

"Drink half that," the boy instructed. Kakashi drank and Shikamaru took back the antidote. Ino waited five minutes for Kakashi to get back most of his strength. Then she skipped up to face Kakashi. Kakashi stood and they began the fight. Ino pulled out a bunch of kunai and shuriken. She threw them at Kakashi, who dodged. She donned her new Neko Te and went on the offensive. Kakashi, not using his Sharingan couldn't keep up with her speed. The girl slashed at him again and again. She never hit any vital spots, but many wounds drew a ton of blood. Ino stopped, not even breathing hard.

"Do I pass, Kakashi-_sensei_?" she asked. The way she said sensei, it was like she was talking to a child that just declared that he was going to be Santa Claus. Kakashi merely nodded. Ino pouted a little.

"You're no fun. You won't even scream," the girl complained as she walked back over to her teammates. Kakashi bandaged up his wounds and took a blood pill. Once he recovered, Naruto stepped forward with a feral grin.

"Don't kill him Naruto. It would be way too troublesome," Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded and heft his sword, which he had affectionately named Satsujin. He started swinging at Kakashi with the intent to kill. Soon Kakashi was panting while Naruto was laughing.

"It's been awhile since a fights been so fun!" he cheered. Shikamaru and Ino watched with sadistic glee. Kakashi cried out when Naruto's punch caught him in the ribs. Naruto pounded away at the Jounin with Shikamaru and Ino watching happily. Eventually Shikamaru spoke up.

"You should probably stop now Naruto. I think he's unconscious." Naruto looked at the Jounin and found that yes, Kakashi was unconscious.

"It's no fun when they pass out," he complained. Shikamaru shrugged as if to say 'what can ya do?'. Minutes ticked by and Kakashi came to. After explaining what had happened, Kakashi sat up.

"We'll start training tomorrow. Be here early," Kakashi instructed before poofing away. The Genin rolled their eyes and left the training ground. They made their way to the barbeque restaurant. When they arrived, the server looked at them and bowed.

"Hello, young masters. Will you be having your usual at your usual table?" he asked. Shikamaru merely nodded. Kakashi, watching from the outside, having healed his wounds, wondered what the kids had done to receive such treatment. They were led to the table and meat was set out for them to barbeque. Naruto took most of it, but left three pieces. Shikamaru took two and Ino took one.

"Our sensei is so fun to play with," Ino said giggling. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"He's too predictable," Shikamaru commented. Naruto grinned.

"Then again, I doubt he'll be able to teach us anything," he added. Kakashi's blood boiled. These kids were talking like they knew him.

"So what did they tell you about our sensei?" Ino questioned. Shikamaru looked up from his food.

"He's the son of Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha. His father committed suicide after facing anger and disappointment from the village after he rescued his comrades instead of completing an important mission. He graduated from the academy at age five. A year after becoming Genin, he made Chuunin. He quickly moved up to Jounin. He led his team in the Third Shinobi War. However, his teammate, Uchiha Obito, died trying to save his other teammate, Nohara Rin, when she was captured. Obito gave Kakashi one of his Sharingan. Later, he killed his teammate Rin when she threw herself in front of his Raikiri. His sensei, the Fourth Hokage, died sealing Kurama-sensei." Kakashi looked at them in confusion. They consider the Kyuubi a teacher? Ino and Naruto just nodded.

"Okay, I'm bored. We should go see Ibiki-niichan!" Ino said, clapping. Shikamaru and Naruto grinned.

* * *

"Ibiki-niichan! We're back! Do you have anything for us?" the blonde girl asked, bouncing. Ibiki looked at them stoically.

"You can't just waltz in here and demand a prisoner because you're bored," he replied. Ino pouted.

"There must be something for us to do!" she whined. Ibiki rummaged through his desk and tossed them a scroll.

"Find out what he was doing sneaking around our village. Don't kill him." Ino squealed in happiness as she ran out the door. Shikamaru and Naruto followed. One of the T&amp;I shinobi came in.

"Did I just see three Genin running towards the prisoner?" he asked, "Why are they here?" Ibiki sighed.

"They're bored and if I don't give them someone to play with, they'll find someone in the village to play with," Ibiki explained. He walked toward the adjacent room to where the Genin were interrogating the prisoner. He motioned for his subordinate to follow. They watched the Genin interrogate.

* * *

The Iwa nin was blindfolded and bound.

"Hello Mr. Iwa nin! You're going to tell us what you were doing in our village now," a feminine voice said.

"And why would I do that?" he asked.

"Because if you don't, you're in for a world of pain until you talk," a masculine voice replied. The Iwa nin smirked.

"I doubt that," he said, cocky.

"Yaton: Akumu," he heard someone murmur. Visions of blood flashed across his psyche. His village in ruins. His family, dead. His friends, comrades. All dead. He let out a pained wail.

* * *

The T&amp;I shinobi was surprised. They had broken the Iwa nin no problem. But what disturbed him was that they were grinning in sadistic glee at the broken wails the man let out. They asked their questions and the shinobi answered them swiftly and accurately. Ibiki heard everything and wrote a report on it. The three Genin walked out, leaving the broken nin sobbing in the interrogation room. Ibiki walked out to greet them.

"Now that was fun," Ino declared. Shikamaru grinned.

"It's been awhile since I used my Nightmare jutsu," he said. Naruto just grinned. They nodded to Ibiki and left the T&amp;I building.

"That was only a portion of what they would do if I didn't give them people to torture," Ibiki explained before adding, "Not to mention they get the job done just as good if not better than most seasoned torturers."

* * *

Ino stretched her arms as they left the building.

"We should go to bed. We'll be starting training and missions tomorrow," Shikamaru said, yawning. The group said their good byes and went to their houses.

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I still don't own Naruto. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Translations will be at the bottom!**

**Oh, and a thanks to my reviewers; Guest, Tsukoblue and Guest! Thanks to everyone who has followed and/or favorited me and my stories.**

Chapter 3: Training

Having arrived early for their training with Kakashi, the three Genin decided to work on their ninjutsu.

"Hyoton: Senbon!" Ino called. Ice formed senbon needles and they showered down on the target.

"Yaton: Nui," Shikamaru said quietly. Shadows became solid and were shaped like needles. They pierced his target, hitting vital spots and spots that bleed a lot. Naruto grinned as he called,

"Renton: Arekeruu Kaze!" A strong wind blew around the training field, demolishing trees and targets. They kept practicing.

* * *

Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing. These students were using kekkei genkai. They shouldn't be able to. Naruto was using Renton. Ino was using Hyoton. Shikamaru was using one he'd never heard of before. But the kekkei genkai weren't from Konoha. He watched as Shikamaru performed some hand signs.

* * *

"Yaton: Kankaku," Shikamaru muttered. His jutsu allowed him to sense others in a certain vicinity, even if they were masking their chakra. He could sense Naruto and Ino and a third person.

"We have company," he told the others, "Our sensei. Hiding in the forest. 30 meters to the left." Naruto and Ino gleefully leapt toward the location Shikamaru specified.

* * *

Kakashi was surprised when Naruto and Ino started towards his hiding place.

_ "How did they know I was here? I've been masking my chakra," _he thought. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the Genin appeared in front of him. He cursed his carelessness.

"Oh, it's just you," Naruto said dismissively. Ino grinned and added,

"Since you're here, you can be a practice dummy!" A sigh sounded from behind Kakashi. The Jounin turned around to see Shikamaru step out of the shadow of the tree.

"That would be impractical Ino. If Kakashi got put in the hospital, we wouldn't be able to go on missions," he explained. Ino nodded. Kakashi realized that Shikamaru only stopped Ino because the missions would stop if he didn't.

"Well, since you've seen us practicing, you might as well come watch us out in the open," Ino chirped. Ino and Shikamaru strode back to the training field. Kakashi was about to follow them when Naruto grabbed his arm.

"Don't try to spy on us again," he growled, "You're lucky Shika recognized you, or we would have come in swinging and I don't want to have to sit through another lecture about how I'm not supposed to kill Leaf shinobi." Naruto walked past Kakashi and returned to the training field. He watched as his team practiced jutsu after jutsu.

"Yaton: Shimekorosu," Shikamaru said. A shadow hand crept up the throat of a bird and started to strangle it. Kakashi watched in horror as the Genin's faces lit up. The bird screeched, trying to break free. However it was no use. The bird ran out of air and died.

"Aww! I was hoping it would last longer than that!" Ino complained. Naruto grumbled and Shikamaru shrugged with the ghost of a grin on his face.

"I have to go speak to the Hokage about something," he told them, "Keep practicing." They rolled their eyes and grumbled a little. Kakashi poofed away to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"Lord Hokage, my team is very clearly insane. They were grinning as Shikamaru strangled an animal and they're always talking about how screams are more fun. They told me that they like torture and killing," Kakashi said. The Hokage said nothing for a moment.

"What do you want me to do, Kakashi?" he asked.

"They are clearly in need of mental help," Kakashi exclaimed. The Hokage shook his head.

"I'm afraid the council would never permit it. You see, those three are supposed to be Konoha's secret weapon in the upcoming war," the Hokage explained.

"How so? They're supposed to be Genin!" Kakashi retorted. The Hokage grimaced.

"After what the village did to them, they are no longer children. They haven't been children, even during their academy days," the Hokage said. Kakashi stared in disbelief.

"What happened to them?" he asked. The Hokage gave him a pained look.

"That is classified information Kakashi. The High Council are the only ones who are supposed to know about it," he replied. Kakashi shook his head.

"Well, I need to get back to my team," Kakashi said, bowing to the Hokage. He poofed back to the training field.

* * *

He returned to the training field and saw his team the middle of a massacre. Dead animals littered the ground around them. They grinned psychotically. Kakashi walked over to them and said,

"Alright, I think it's time for a mission." They went to the mission room and received a mission to track down Tora the cat. The Genin rolled their eyes and Kakashi kept an eye on them. They tracked the cat across the rooftops with Naruto being the one to catch it. Tora was returned. The Genin could see why the cat ran away. His owner hugged him and he almost looked blue under his fur. They received another D-Rank mission. It went alright. The Genin became bored.

"Hey, Kakashi. We're done for today. We're going to go see if Ibiki-niisan has any spies for us to play with," Shikamaru said. Kakashi just let them go. They walked off, heading towards T&amp;I.

* * *

"Ibiki-niichan, we're back again!" Ino greeted, swinging open the door. Ibiki looked up from his paperwork. He didn't bother arguing.

"We have an unbroken prisoner in cell five. No need for actual interrogation. Do whatever you want," he said. The excited looks on the Genin's faces spoke for themselves. The Genin dashed down to the cell Ibiki specified. The man would be broken soon.

* * *

T&amp;I shinobi were freaked out when they heard screams coming from the cells.

They freaked even more when they realized the walls were supposed to be soundproof.

* * *

Ibiki massaged his temples. Many of the shinobi at T&amp;I had panicked about the screams. He told them that three special shinobi often came and that if they saw them, to leave them alone.

Those three would be the death of him.

* * *

Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino returned to the barbeque restaurant. They sat at their usual table.

"That was the most fun I've had in ages," Shikamaru said, smirking. Ino giggled and added,

"Yeah, his screams were simply lovely. I hope we can play with him again." Naruto snorted.

"If he survived this time around, I'm sure Ibiki-niisan will let us play with him again," he told Ino. Said girl clapped happily and gave a demented giggle. Kakashi, who was listening in on them again, shivered at their obvious glee. They talked about what they did to the prisoner.

* * *

Meanwhile, T&amp;I was checking on the prisoner. The shinobi wasn't prepared for the blood splattered everywhere. Many of the prisoner's bones were broken and his eyes were wide open. Only a slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was alive.

* * *

Kakashi was nearly sick at some of the things they had done. He knew it. They were insane. Unfortunately, in war, it was an asset to have shinobi who didn't care about killing.

He was afraid that if they started killing during battle, they wouldn't stop.

**Here are the translations.**

**Hyoton: Senbon-Ice Style: Senbon**

**Yaton: Nui-Shadow Style: Stitching**

**Renton: Arekeruu Kaze-Storm Style: Raging Wind**

**Yaton: Kankaku-Shadow Style: Sense**

**Shadow Style is one that I created for Shikamaru. Ino and Naruto's would have been difficult to make up one for, so I gave them already existing ones.**

**That's the end of this chapter. This one was meant to be more of a filler chapter. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Naruto. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Warning: gore and fighting**

Chapter 4: Land of Waves

"Alright Sarutobi, give us a C-Rank mission. Now." Naruto was glaring at the Hokage. Iruka was affronted that Naruto would speak to the Hokage like that. However, he was too afraid of the trio to speak up. The Hokage sighed.

"There is a C-Rank mission available. However, I want you to take Team Ten with you." Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino glared and stalked forward.

"What? Are we not strong enough?" Naruto growled.

"Not at all. I wish for the other Genin teams to see the real shinobi world and this is the safest for them since you'll be there," the Hokage explained. Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino relaxed. Team Ten was called in and told about their C-Rank mission. Sasuke smirked triumphantly. Sakura did a victory dance. Choji frowned before putting on a determined look.

"However, you will be accompanying Team Seven on this mission," the Hokage added. Their faces fell. Sasuke and Sakura glared at the three Genin, but they just shrugged it off.

"Bring in the client," the Hokage ordered. An old man in slightly tattered clothes walked in.

"A bunch of snot nosed kids? Why would you-" the old man started. However, a sword, scythe and a bakuhatsu pointed at his face made him stop. The looks on Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru's faces stopped the man from speaking another word. After Team Seven put away their weapons, the Hokage introduced the man as Tazuna.

"You are to escort him to the Land of Waves. That means he has to arrive their _safely_." The Hokage looked at Team Seven, who just shrugged. He sighed.

"Meet at the gate in half an hour. Go gather your things." The group dispersed. Kakashi spoke to Tazuna.

"Sorry about that. They don't take too well to being insulted." Tazuna just sighed and let it go.

* * *

Most of the Genin were gathered by the gate. Ino was leaning against the tree, filing her nails. Sasuke was leaning against the wall. Choji was looking around. Sakura was staring at Sasuke. There was no sign of Naruto or Shikamaru. Asuma and Kakashi arrived with Tazuna.

"Where are your teammates, Ino-boar? Or were they too scared and ran away?" Sakura taunted. Ino stood up and knocked the tree. Sakura burst into laughter. However, it was quickly stopped and Naruto landed on the ground from the tree top. An orb of shadows started rising out of the ground. When it was as big as the Genin, the shadows seeped away, revealing Shikamaru. Team Ten gaped and Team Seven started walking. Naruto turned around.

"Are you coming?" The others hurried after Team Seven.

They were still walking. They passed a puddle and Team Seven shared a glance. Once most of the group was past, two Chuunin leapt up and used chain gauntlets to kill Kakashi. Instead of gaping, Team Seven grinned and starting fighting. Shikamaru sent a wave of senbon, leaving the enemy shinobi with senbon needle in key points to restrict movement. Ino immediately went after one with her Neko Te. Naruto took the other with his sword. Both ninja fell to the ground after Team Seven moved. They didn't get up. Kakashi reappeared, revealing that he used a substitution jutsu at last minute. Team Ten sighed in relief.

_ "Is the dobe really stronger than me?" _He was an Uchiha. The Uchiha were the best shinobi in Konoha.

"Good job, team," Kakashi complimented. Choji looked like he was going be sick. Sakura looked nausea. Sasuke gave them a grudging respect. The bodies were disposed of and the group continued. Tazuna had gone pale.

"So why were those ninja targeting you, Tazuna?" Shikamaru asked. Tazuna jumped. He stammered a bit before he broke down and revealed the whole story. Gatou was an evil business man who had taken over the Land of Waves by controlling the sea. Tazuna was the bridge builder so Gatou wanted to kill him.

"Alright, now that the sob story is over, let's go," Naruto said. The group continued on.

* * *

Later, Naruto was playing with one of his kunai and he threw it into a bush. When they checked, there was a white hare. Team Seven immediately connected the dots. Meanwhile, a giant sword came flying at them. Most of the group ducked, but Team Seven back-flipped out of the way and remained standing. A man wearing cow print pants with no shirt and bandages over his mouth stood on the sword, which was stuck in a tree.

"Sharingan no Kakashi. No wonder the Demon Brothers failed. They faced you," he said. Naruto gritted his teeth. They hated it when someone took credit for their kill.

"Momoichi Zabuza," Kakashi said, lifting his forehead protector for his left eye. For once he was being serious.

"Geez, give credit where it's do! Kakashi wasn't the one who killed the Demon Brothers! That was all us!" Naruto yelled. Zabuza looked over Team Seven and laughed.

"You expect me to believe that you're the ones that killed the Demon Brothers?" Zabuza asked. He started laughing. The laughter died in his throat when Team Seven released their killing intent. It was way too strong to come from Genin. Ino giggled.

"Oh, it'll be so fun to dismember you and rip you limb from limb!" she said. Team Ten looked vaguely sickened. Zabuza was disturbed by how much they enjoyed the thought.

"It would be better if we add poison, "Shikamaru said, adding his two cents, "It makes it more painful for him." Naruto nodded thoughtfully. Team Seven got into fighting positions. Zabuza laughed again. Ino and Naruto sped toward him with Shikamaru staying a safe distance away. Ino pulled out her Chigiriki. Naruto hefted his sword and Shikamaru held senbon ready to throw. Zabuza kept his eyes on Ino and Naruto and didn't notice Shikamaru throw the senbon until a few penetrated his skin. Ino and Naruto leapt at him, both swinging their weapons. Zabuza could tell. They were genuinely trying to kill him. He blocked the weapons and finally noticed the senbon. While he was distracted, Ino switched to the Neko Te and started scratching at the missing-nin. He received a few deep scratches that bled quite a bit. Naruto grinned and raised his sword to slice off Zabuza's arm.

Suddenly, a couple senbon hit a spot on Zabuza's neck. The Missing-nin collapsed. The Genin looked up to see a hunter-nin.

"Thank for incapacitating him. Now I must take my leave." The hunter-nin grabbed Zabuza and vanished.

"Aww, we didn't get to hear him scream," Ino whined. The group continued on to the Land of Waves.

* * *

The hunter-nin removed the senbon he had thrown and the senbon thrown by the tanned boy. He bandaged up the scratches left by the girl. He inspected the boy's senbon for poison. He found traces of a poison he was not familiar with. It worried him slightly, but Zabuza-sama was fine.

* * *

The group took a boat undercover of mist to the Land of Waves. They disembarked and followed Tazuna to his home. They managed to all cram into one house.

"This is my daughter, Tsunami, and my grandson, Inari," Tazuna introduced. Everyone greeted them. Inari glared at them, but stopped when he saw Naruto's glare, Shikamaru's bored look and Ino' childlike glee. He kept to himself when the three of were in the room.

The group had been guarding Tazuna at the bridge. Team Seven was waiting for a rematch. Finally he made his appearance. The hunter-nin was actually his subordinate. Team Seven stepped up to fight them. They were grinning. Well, Naruto had a manic smile, Ino had a childish grin matching eyes full of malice, and Shikamaru had a smirk. Zabuza's subordinate, Haku, stepped forward first.

"Hyoton: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors." Mirrors made of ice surrounded them. Ino smirked.

"I'll handle this. Go play with Zabuza," she said. Shikamaru nodded and Naruto grabbed onto his shoulders.

"Yaton: Suteppu," Shikamaru said. He and Naruto sank into the ground, popping back up outside the range of Haku's jutsu. He and Naruto smirked as they faced Zabuza.

"How? It's impossible to escape Haku's jutsu. He moves at the speed of light!" Zabuza protested. Shikamaru gave a dark, cold laugh.

"He may move at light speed, but I move at shadow speed. And no matter how fast light is, the shadows always get there first," Shikamaru explained. He and Naruto launched into an attack. Zabuza blocked most of Shikamaru's senbon, but a couple made it through. Naruto started slashing with his sword, trying to take off Zabuza's limbs.

* * *

Ino grinned as she formed some hand signs.

"Hyoton: Senbon!" she called. She was surrounded by senbon made of ice. They shot off, hitting every mirror. The mirrors cracked slightly. She made a few more hand signs.

"Hyoton: Kunai!" The same thing happened, but with kunai. The cracks grew bigger.

"Hyoton: Chigiriki!" Again, but with chigiriki. The mirrors shattered. The girl approached Haku, ready to kill him. She had her metal Neko Te on and slashed at Haku. However, Haku moved and stood in front of Zabuza as Naruto brought down his sword. Haku was sliced nearly in two. Team Seven grinned at the despair in Zabuza's eyes. The despair of realizing how much you care about something after it's gone. The Genin closed in on Zabuza. Ino reopened the scratches from the Neko Te and Naruto was about to deal the finishing blow when a voice said,

"Well, well, the great Momoichi Zabuza, about to be defeated by a bunch of Genin." Zabuza growled at the business man.

"You're Gatou, I presume," Kakashi said. Gatou nodded. He had a bunch of thugs behind him.

"Kill them all," he commanded them. The thugs rushed forward. Team Seven grinned while they dove into the crowd. Naruto crowed as he swung his sword, killing the ones closest to him. Shikamaru used his scythe to cut them and used senbon to poison them. Many of them didn't even know they were poisoned until they felt the effects. Ino slashed at any thug who got close enough. She giggled dementedly. Shikamaru chuckled darkly. Naruto was laughing. Soon all the thugs were dead. Gatou's eyes bugged out.

"How?! You're a bunch of brats!" he shouted. The villagers, led by Inari, showed up and drove Gatou off. Zabuza, who was quickly bleeding out, moved closer to Haku and lay still. Team Ten, Asuma and Kakashi mourned for a moment while Team Seven snapped out of their battle lust.

"Again, good job team," Kakashi said. Asuma spoke quietly.

"Aren't you going to tell them they didn't have to kill them?" he asked. Kakashi sighed and whispered back,

"It wouldn't do any good. They already know that they didn't have to kill them." Asuma's eyes widened as he took it in.

* * *

The bridge was finished and the group was on their way home. The villagers said their thanks. They had decided to name the bridge the Great Demon bridge. Team Seven immediately started towards Konoha, and Team Ten jogged to catch up. The senseis followed. Kakashi thought about the fight.

_ "After all that killing, I half expected them to attack us. But they calmed themselves down. Maybe there's hope that they can return to normal."_

**Translations!**

**Hyoton: Senbon-Ice Style: Senbon**

**Hyoton: Kunai-Ice Style: Kunai**

**Hyoton: Chigiriki-Ice Style: Chigiriki**

**Yaton: Suteppu-Shadow Style: Step**

**Hyoton: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors-Ice Style: Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors**

**Note: Most of Ino's jutsu form weapons. That's why they don't have a translation, since that's the actual name of the weapon.**

**That's it for the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Naruto.**

Chapter 5: Chuunin Exams Part 1

Team Seven was waiting for Kakashi on a bridge. Shikamaru was sitting and leaning against the railing for a nap. Ino was playing by throwing weapons at the bridge around Shikamaru, making interesting designs. The brunette boy opened one eye and closed it again. Naruto was tapping his foot impatiently. Finally Kakashi appeared.

"Where have you been?" Naruto demanded. Kakashi held up his hands as if to say 'wait a moment'. He pulled out three cards and handed them out.

"Those are for the upcoming Chuunin Exams," he said. The team grinned and Kakashi suppressed a shiver. He felt sorry for whoever they fought in the exams.

"Well, I'll leave you to get ready. The exams are in three days. You have to go to room 301 at the academy at three," he explained. He shunshined away. The Genin talked excitedly amongst themselves.

"We should go to the weapons store to celebrate!" Ino proposed. The boys smiled at the blonde girl and followed her to their regular weapons store.

* * *

On the way there, they saw a couple Suna Genin getting into it with Team Ten. A Suna boy was holding the 'Honorable Grandson' by his neck. Shikamaru noticed a third Suna Genin standing upside down in the tree next to them. They silently jumped to the branch above him. Naruto saw Sasuke sitting on a branch across and lower down.

"No way! He bumped into me!" the boy from Suna said loudly. A rock collided with his wrist, causing him to drop the 'Honorable Grandson'. The boy scrambled away and hid behind Choji. The Suna boy looked up to Sasuke. The Uchiha heir was tossing another rock up and down. The three didn't listen while the Suna boy insulted Sasuke. Sasuke crushed the rock he'd been tossing.

"Stop, Kankuro," the boy in the tree said, "You're an embarrassment to our village." Kankuro started stammering about how they started it.

"Shut up or I'll kill you," the boy in the tree, Gaara, threatened. Kankuro paled and the girl next to him took a step back. Ino clapped happily.

"I give that an eight out of ten!" Shikamaru scoffed.

"Please, it was barely a six." This drew the attention to Team Seven. Gaara looked up and was surprised. Shikamaru was leaning against the tree trunk. Ino was sitting, swinging her legs like a little girl. Naruto stood in the middle, watching the interaction.

_ "What? They snuck up on Gaara!" _the Suna girl thought.

"If you want to make a death threat, you gotta smile while you do it," Naruto said casually, as if he did it all the time. Gaara was uneasy at how easily they spoke of death threats.

_ "They rate death threats? Who the hell are they?" _Kankuro wondered. They leapt out of the tree.

"Well, we have to be off. Ta!" Ino said as they walked towards the weapons store.

* * *

Once they were at the weapons store, Shikamaru grabbed a few packs of senbon. Naruto browsed the sword section. Ino went through assorted weapons. She grinned as she pulled a chain whip.

"Oh how darling! I simply must get it!" she declared. Naruto didn't like any of the swords better than Satsujin. Shikamaru shrugged, there was nothing of interest. They purchased Ino's whip and Shikamaru's senbon. They walked out.

And came face to face with Sasuke.

"What makes you so tough, huh? You're nothing but a bunch of dead lasts. You'll never be able to beat a real ninja," the Uchiha sneered. Naruto smirked and replied,

"Then what does that make you? Certainly not a real ninja." Ino giggled and Shikamaru chuckled. Sasuke glared, but Team Seven didn't even bat an eye. The Uchiha stalked off. Team Seven rolled their eyes and walked away.

It was the day of the Chuunin Exams. Team Seven headed over to the academy. They paused on the second floor, where a bunch of Genin were gathered around a doorway.

"Idiots," Shikamaru mumbled, "They can't even tell what floor they're on." They continued up to the third floor. Kakashi greeted them at the door.

"All three of you had to show up, since you're all here, there's no problem," he said, stepping aside. They entered, gaining the attention of all the Genin already inside the testing room. Everyone stared at them, until Naruto glared at them. They stood around, waiting for the exams to start. The doors opened again to reveal Team Ten and Team Eight. The stares turned to the newbies. Sasuke glared back. The stares seemed to intimidate Hinata and Sakura. Kiba grinned brashly and Shino was impossible to read. Choji looked determined. Team Seven made their way back to the doors.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't a Rookie reunion," Kiba chuckled. A silver haired shinobi approached them.

"You shouldn't be so loud. You already stand out since your rookies," he said, "I'm Kabuto, by the way." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. This guy was obviously planning something. You don't draw attention to yourself by helping a bunch of rookies unless you want something. However, unless it involved them, he could care less.

"I have information on the Chuunin Exams in this deck," he explained, flipping a card over to reveal that it's blank.

"Of course, I wouldn't leave this information for anyone to find," he continued, twirling the card with his finger. It revealed a map showing which villages had sent shinobi to take the Exams. Sasuke requested information on Gaara of the Desert and Rock Lee. Team Seven tuned out Kabuto's information spiel. They caught three blurs coming towards Kabuto from the crowd. They didn't bother warning the older Genin. The approaching blurs revealed themselves to be Genin from Oto. The leader went to punch Kabuto, but the silver haired Genin moved. However, his glasses broke and he fell to the ground retching.

_ "Hmm, sound waves coming from the metal gauntlet on that guy's arm. They get into the ear and mix up the fluids, making the body get off balance," _Shikamaru thought. He whispered his analysis to Ino and Naruto. The two nodded that they heard and turned back to the unfolding events.

"Don't underestimate Oto," the lead Genin threatened.

"That was at least a five," Ino whispered.

"No way," Shikamaru whispered back, "It was barely a three. It wasn't even a death threat." The Oto Genin turned to Team Seven.

"What are you whispering about?" the girl asked threateningly.

"What we rate your threat," Ino replied casually before continuing her debate with Shikamaru about said rating. Her response threw off the Oto Genin.

"You rate threats?" the second boy asked. Team Seven didn't pay attention to him. Naruto turned to his teammates.

"Shikamaru is right Ino. It was barely a three," he said. Ino considered it.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. It does have to be a death threat to get a five rating," she said to herself. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. That's when the testing staff shunshined into the room.

"That's enough," Ibiki commanded, "There'll be time for fighting later." He ignored the grins on Team Seven's faces.

"This portion is the written exam. You will take a number and that is where you will sit." Once everyone had a number and was in their seats, Ibiki continued.

"This test will be an hour long and have ten questions. The first nine will be given to you at the beginning and the tenth question will be given when there are fifteen minutes left. Rules for the exam are as follows. This is a team test, meaning that your score is grouped with your teammates. We will be working a point deduction system. You will start with a full score and we will deduct a point for every incorrect answer. We will have sentries posted around the room. They will be watching you. If they catch you cheating, two points will be deducted. If you get caught cheating five times, you and your team will be expelled from the exam. If any member of your team has zero points, you will be expelled from the exam. If there are no questions, begin!" The room filled with the sound of pencil on paper. Some Genin were panicking. Shikamaru just filled in the answers. Ino filled in a few, but got bored and stopped. Naruto didn't even try. The blonde just laid his head down on the desk for a nap. Soon Shikamaru followed and Ino stared out the window.

"Alright, it's time for the tenth question. Now listen up, there are some rules specifically for the tenth question.

"More rules?" Sakura groaned. Ibiki ignored her.

"You can choose whether or not you take the tenth question." The room roared with sounds of protest. The Suna girl spoke above the noise.

"Say we don't want to take the tenth question. What then?" she challenged.

"If you don't accept the tenth question, then regardless of how you answered the other questions, you will fail. However, if you accept the tenth question and get it wrong, you will not only fail, but you will never be able to take the Chuunin Exams again." The participants protested loudly.

"You can't do that!" Kiba shouted, "What about the people who took it last year!" Ibiki smirked.

"I wasn't in charge of the exam last year," he replied smugly. He waited for a time. Finally someone raised their hand. After the first one went, a flood of others gave up. Naruto scoffed at them. Shikamaru woke from his nap. And Ino's attention returned from the window. None of them raised their hands. There were approximately twenty teams left when teams stopped giving up. Ibiki was about to speak when a bundle of cloth shot through the window. A woman with plum hair in a spiky bun unfurled herself from the cloth, lodging kunai in the ceiling. The cloth served as a backdrop reading "Mitarashi Anko, Proctor for the Second Exam!" Shikamaru chuckled and Ino let out a giggle.

"You're early as always, Anko," Ibiki said, as if this was a common occurrence. Anko sweat-dropped and asked,

"How many teams passed?" Ibiki looked around the cloth and answered,

"Twenty teams passed." Anko frowned.

"That many? You've gotten soft." Ibiki side glanced at the woman.

"Maybe there's just a stronger crop of Genin this year," he commented.

"Don't look that strong to me," she said to herself, before speaking so that everyone could hear her.

"Well, meet at Training Field 44 tomorrow morning. See you there!" With that, the Genin were let out of the first exam. Team Seven made their way out, smirking victoriously. Shikamaru yawned.

"I'm going to head home," he said. Ino and Naruto grinned.

"Sleep over at Shika's!" Naruto declared. The Genin made their way to the shadow-nin's house for a good night's rest.

**No real signs of insanity this chapter, but then again, I haven't written the Forest of Death yet.**

**Anyways, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Naruto! There's going to be some fights and such this chapter!**

Chapter 6: Chuunin Exams Part 2

The next day, Team Seven were at the Forest of Death bright and early. They awaited the rest of the shinobi and passed time by playing Hot Potato with a rock attaching to an exploding tag. The rock exploded midair.

"Oh, pretty!" Ino sighed. Shikamaru decided to take a nap, leaving Naruto and Ino to find something else to do. The other Genin started arriving. It wasn't long before the rest of the Genin arrived. Ino nudged Shikamaru awake. Anko arrived to explain the second exam.

"Alright, here's how the second exam is gonna work!" she called, holding up two scrolls. One scroll had the symbol for heaven and the other had the symbol for earth.

"Each team will get one scroll, either Heaven or Earth. You will need two scrolls to complete the exam. One Heaven scroll, one Earth scroll. You need to reach the tower in the middle of the Forest of Death in five days time. Also, we need you to sign these waivers," she explained, holding up a piece of paper.

"Waivers? Why do we need to sign waivers?" one of the Genin asked.

"The Forest of Death is dangerous. These waivers state that Konoha is not responsible for any injuries or deaths that occur during this exam," Anko replied cheerfully. Many Genin looked slightly sickened.

"This is your last chance to bow out if you get cold feet. You'll sign the forms and bring them up here. You'll receive either a Heaven or an Earth scroll and be assigned to a gate. Let's get these babies passed out!" Everyone received a waiver. They got the waivers signed and turned in, receiving their scrolls. Team Seven received an Earth scroll.

"Alright," Shikamaru whispered, "Naruto, you'll carry the scroll. We'll take down whoever challenges us and take their scroll. We'll keep doing that until we get both scrolls and reach the tower." Ino and Naruto nodded. Shikamaru handed off the scroll and Naruto stashed it in his weapons pouch. They went to their assigned gate and waited. Once everyone was at their assigned gate, they were let in. Team Seven immediately leapt into the treetops. It wasn't long before they came across another team. It was a team from Kumogakure.

"Let's play!" Ino cheered as Team Seven dove down into the fray. They went one on one with the other team. Ino danced circles around the only girl on the other team. Shikamaru threw senbon, each wave having a few more connect. Naruto was swinging Satsujin, causing his opponent to dodge for his life. It wasn't long before Naruto cleaved off one of the boy's arms. The boy cried out and Naruto dealt the killing blow. Ino had just finished off her opponent. Shikamaru was still toying with his. He charged in with his scythe. Unfortunately, his opponent instinctively smacked Shikamaru away after dodging. The shadow-nin hit a tree and slid to the ground. Ino hurried over to Shikamaru's side. Naruto glared at the only boy remaining from the Kumo team.

"You. Hurt. My. Family. YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!" Naruto went berserk. When he was finished, his opponent was unrecognizable. Naruto made a beeline for Ino and Shikamaru. Shikamaru was leaning slightly against Ino.

"You okay Shika?" Naruto asked his usually tough voice gentle. Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, just knocked me off balance. I'd be a sad excuse for a shinobi if I let a tree beat me." Ino giggled and Naruto chuckled at Shikamaru's humor.

"Oh I grabbed their scroll and what luck! They had a Heaven scroll," Ino chirped. Naruto grinned.

"Well, they paid in blood for their error, so we can move on." Shikamaru and Ino stood up, Shikamaru swaying slightly before he regained his feet. He shook his head and gave the go ahead for them to start moving. They vanished into the treetops.

* * *

Truthfully, they weren't surprised at the scene in front of them. Sasuke was out cold and Sakura and Choji were keeping an eye on him.

"Figures. He probably overused his chakra," Naruto grumbled. Shikamaru cocked his head slightly. Ino and Naruto turned to look at their teammate.

"Orochimaru came to test Sasuke, to see if he would be a worthy Vessel. He passed and Orochimaru gave him a curse mark, which is the current source of his unconsciousness," Shikamaru said, growling slightly when he said Orochimaru's name. Ino and Naruto stiffened, their faces in a frown. Then the team from Oto showed up. Sakura and Choji stood protectively in front of their comrade.

"We have orders from Orochimaru-sama. We are to kill Uchiha Sasuke," the leader, a shinobi wrapped in bandages, said. Team Seven glared at the Oto team. The Oto girl sensed their killing intent and turned to look at them. Her teammates followed suit.

"You're the Genin from earlier! The one that rated our threat!" the other Oto boy exclaimed.

"What do you know about Orochimaru?" Shikamaru asked, his voice as cold as ice. The killing intent rose, seeming to pin down all the Genin in front of them, even the ones from their own village.

"We will tell you nothing," the second boy sneered. He held out his palms.

"Zankuuha!" he shouted. However, Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino were no longer there. Ino was behind the girl with a kunai at her throat. Naruto was in front of the leader with Satsujin at his throat. Shikamaru had his scythe at the second Oto boy's throat.

"You obviously don't know who we are," Naruto growled, "Or how much we hate Orochimaru." Sakura and Choji were stunned.

"What do you know about Orochimaru? Don't make me ask again," Shikamaru growled. The Oto team wasn't sure what to think of the insane Konoha Genin.

"We ain't tellin' you nothin'," the second boy said.

"Fine, gives me a reason to kill you," Shikamaru said darkly. He brought his scythe up and brought it down on the Oto boy's arms. The boy howled and leapt away.

"I'm guessing those arms were a little gift from Orochimaru," Ino hissed, "Just like the gauntlet he has." She jerked her head towards the bandaged boy. Naruto growled, his eyes turning red. The Oto team was suddenly very afraid. They leapt back from the Konoha Genin and vanished into the treetops with their teammate. Team Seven glared after them but didn't go after the Oto team.

"There's always the preliminaries," Naruto commented. Sakura and Choji said nothing, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Shikamaru turned to them.

"When your teammate wakes up, tell him Orochimaru isn't the answer," he said coldly. The insane Genin vanished from view and Sakura and Choji relaxed.

* * *

Team Seven paused and Naruto kicked a tree.

"Why is Orochimaru messing with us?" he growled. They didn't get a chance to speak further because another team appeared. Naruto grinned a feral grin. Shikamaru smirked and Ino giggled.

"Perfect timing," Naruto said, "I need to blow off some steam."

The enemy team didn't stand a chance.

* * *

Five days had passed and the exam was almost over. Team Seven had decided to wait until last minute, otherwise they were liable to get bored. They finally went to the tower and checked in. The passing Genin lined up in front of the Hokage.

"You have all passed the second stage. Now there will be some preliminary rounds to cut down the numbers. The preliminary matches will take place immediately. If you feel that you cannot participate due to injuries or not having enough chakra, raise your hand. Your teammates will still be able to participate." There was a slight pause until the silver haired Genin from the first exam raised his hand. The Hokage nodded and the Genin left. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. No one else volunteered.

**That's chapter six! One of my reviewers (you know who you are) requested a showing of the insane ninja's soft side, so here it is! Please review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Naruto. Just thought y'all should know.**

Chapter 7: Preliminaries

"Alright, the first match will be Uchiha Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi," the proctor announced. The Uchiha prodigy remained on the floor with a taller Genin whose face was covered by sunglasses and a cloth over his mouth and nose. Team Seven didn't bother watching Sasuke's match. After all, they didn't care if he became a Chuunin or not. They did pay attention when Sasuke performed his Shishi Rendan.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke." The dark eyes Genin sent a glare up to Naruto, as if daring him to do better. Asuma takes Sasuke away to nullify the curse seal.

"Next match up, Aburame Shino versus Abumi Zaku." The bug user and the second boy from the Oto team went down to the floor. Team Seven was too angry to really pay attention. All they noticed was that Zaku lost.

"Winner, Aburame Shino."

"Next, Tsurugi Misumi versus Sabaku no Kankuro." Misumi dislocated his joints and constricted "Kankuro." However, it was revealed that "Kankuro" was a puppet, as the real one emerged from the bandages. Misumi was quickly defeated by the puppeteer.

"Winner, Sabaku no Kankuro." Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino didn't care about that matchup.

"Next is Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino." Ino grinned and flipped down to the floor. Sakura hesitantly walked down the stairs.

"I've been waiting for this day," Ino hissed. The blonde girl didn't like the pinkette. Sakura looked slightly hesitant.

"Oh, do forfeit," Ino taunted, "Then you wouldn't waste my time!" Sakura became angry at Ino's words.

"I'm going to beat you!" Sakura shrieked. Ino grinned sadistically. The proctor called start. Ino immediately blurred toward Sakura. The pinkette couldn't keep up with Ino's movements. Sakura threw kunai and shuriken at the blur of purple and blonde.

"You won't beat me that way!" Ino taunted. Sakura became angrier. Suddenly, Ino appeared in front of Sakura and punched her in the stomach. The pinkette folded like paper and collapsed to the ground. Sakura started retching. Ino sneered in disgust.

"You're no kunoichi," Ino spat, "You're a little girl who's in over her head." With that, Ino launched Sakura up with a kick and leapt up after her. The blonde girl flipped and kicked Sakura's torso. The pinkette hit the ground with a large amount of force. The proctor called the match.

"Winner, Yamanaka Ino." Ino flipped her hair and leapt up to the balcony.

"Great job Ino!" Naruto called. The girl grinned.

"My pleasure Naruto," she said, "I've been waiting to do that for ages."

"Next up, Tenten versus Temari." The insane Genin didn't bother to pay attention to the match, as they didn't care about either of the participants. Temari defeated Tenten without so much as a scratch.

"Winner, Sabaku no Temari."

"Next, Nara Shikamaru and Tsuchi Kin." Shikamaru leapt down to the floor, followed by the sole Oto girl. Shikamaru smirked at the Oto girl. He started off by throwing senbon at the brunette girl. The girl returned the volley, but had attached bells to some of them. She didn't notice Shikamaru weave a few hand signs.

"Yaton: Akumu," Shikamaru declared quietly. Suddenly, Kin's eyes widened and she left out a piercing scream. Shikamaru didn't know what she was seeing, but he didn't care. He blurred toward her with a kunai in hand and multiple deep cuts on her arms and torso. The proctor looked like he wanted to call the match, but a glare from Shikamaru stayed his hand.

"You're one of Orochimaru's little pet assassins," Shikamaru growled, "Now you pay the price." He slit the girl's throat. Everyone else paled at what the brunette boy had done.

"Winner, Nara Shikamaru," the proctor stuttered. Shikamaru made his way up to the balcony, ignoring the stares.

"Next, Inuzuka Kiba versus Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto grinned savagely at Kiba. The two Genin made their way to the floor. The proctor called start. Naruto blurred toward Kiba and smacked him around.

"Our skill levels are so far apart that I could destroy you in one move," Naruto stated, "But I don't want the lecture." Naruto punched Kiba in the face. The dog-nin flew through the air and slammed into the wall. He slid to the floor, unconscious.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto grinned as he made his way to the balcony.

"Great job team," Kakashi complimented, "You all made it to the finals." They just nodded.

"Next, Hyuuga Hinata versus Hyuuga Neji." The two Hyuugas made their way to the floor. They didn't pay attention to the match, and it was over quickly anyways.

"Winner, Hyuuga Neji." The male Hyuuga made his way up to the balcony as Hinata was wheeled out of the arena.

"Next, Rock Lee versus Sabaku no Gaara." The redhead from Suna and a kid with a bowl cut in a green jumpsuit. At first, Lee was almost unseen by the naked eye. After a short time, the insane Genin stopped paying attention. Unless there was blood and torture, they tended to lose interest quickly. They did notice when Gaara crushed Lee's arm and leg. The proctor called the match.

"Winner, Sabaku no Gaara." Lee was wheeled out as Gaara returned to stand by his siblings, who took a step back.

"Next, Akimichi Choji versus Kinuta Dosu." They idly watched as the Akimichi inflated himself, only to be punched by Dosu. He became wobbly and disoriented. The proctor called the match.

"Winner, Kinuta Dosu." The insane Genin seethed at the Oto boy. The boy felt their glares and turned to look at them. Dosu was unsettled by the glaring Genin.

"Alright, that will be all for now. You will have one month to train before the finals. Good luck to all of you," the Hokage said. The Genin were dismissed. Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru went over to Ino's house. Her parents were out.

"To making the finals and killing Orochimaru's minions!" they cheered.

**That's a wrap! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Naruto. **

Chapter 8: One Month Training

Naruto, Shikamaru and Ino met at the barbeque restaurant again.

"We should get a summoning animal," Shikamaru suggested. Naruto and Ino grinned. Shikamaru smirked.

"And of course, we wouldn't just get any old summons," he continued, "We would get demon summons." Naruto and Ino's grins widened.

"Oh, how darling!" Ino declared.

"Great idea, Shika," Naruto said. They left the restaurant. They went to their normal training ground. Shikamaru taught them the hand signs, which he had learned earlier. Once they memorized the hand signs, they used the jutsu.

"Jigoku Shokan no Jutsu!" Naruto declared, being the first to try it. There was a cloud of black smoke and a kitsune appeared. The kitsune was the size of a horse with black fur and red eyes.

"Who dares summon me?" the kitsune demanded. Naruto smirked.

"I do," he retorted. The kitsune looked at Naruto.

"I see that you contain the Kyuubi," the kitsune stated. Naruto just nodded.

"Prove that you are worthy of summoning me," the kitsune commanded. Naruto glared at the kitsune and leapt towards it, swinging Satsujin. The kitsune leapt out of the way and Naruto grabbed it around the neck.

"I'm your master whenever I choose to summon you," Naruto stated, smirking. The kitsune just nodded.

"Very well," it stated, "I am Kirai." Naruto nodded and the kitsune returned to its realm.

"My turn!" Ino cheered. She performed the hand signs and declared,

"Jigoku Shokan no Jutsu!" In another black cloud, a black dog with glowing green eyes and a greenish glow. It was the size of a foal. It turned to look at Ino.

"So you are the one who summoned me," it said.

"Yep," Ino replied cheerfully.

"Prove yourself," it demanded before leaping at the blonde. Ino dodged out of the way and hit the dog with a chain whip. The dog growled at her.

"Now, now, none of that," Ino chirped. The demonic dog chuckled and said,

"I like you. My name is Kyoufu." Ino waved as Kyoufu vanished back to his realm. Shikamaru smirked as he performed the hand signs.

"Jigoku Shokan no Jutsu!" Another black cloud appeared. A fiery cat the size of a golden retriever with red eyes.

"Who has summoned me?" it purred.

"That would be me," Shikamaru replied. The cat looked at Shikamaru. It could see the cunning and insanity.

"Prove yourself." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and performed a couple hand signs. He vanished from view and reappeared behind the cat. Shikamaru grabbed the cat's nape and lifted it so it stood on it's rear paws.

"Fine," the cat sighed. Shikamaru released his grip on the cat.

"My name is Taida," the cat said. It vanished back to it's realm.

"Hey gang," Kakashi said from behind them. They turned to look at their sensei.

"What's up?" he asked. Shikamaru shrugged. Ino and Naruto grinned as if hiding a secret. Kakashi sighed.

"Well, you better get training," he said. The genin rolled their eyes and worked on their taijutsu. Kakashi watched from a tree branch, wanting to stay out of the line of fire. He noticed something when they sparred with each other.

_ "When Naruto uses his sword, he never actually cuts Ino or Shikamaru. It's the same when Ino uses any of her weapons. Shikamaru doesn't use his poison either." _Kakashi pondered these thoughts. _"Are they really that close that they wouldn't attack each other in a bloodthirsty rage?" _He continued watching as they sparred and practiced. Their taijutsu had improved by the end of the day and they went to Shikamaru's house. Kakashi followed at a distance. Shikamaru's parents weren't home. They talked about some of the things they'd done when at T&amp;I. some of them still made Kakashi sick to his stomach. Suddenly a light emanated from Naruto and a man with red eyes and orange hair appeared.

"Kurama-sensei!" the kids cheered. The man, Kurama, ruffled their hair.

"So, what have you been up to kits?" he asked. Kakashi wondered who Kurama was and how he'd gotten there, then he remembered the Kyuubi. Meanwhile, the kids were giving Kurama the rundown on what had happened since he last came out.

_ "No way," _Kakashi thought _"The Kyuubi no Kitsune can be released from the seal? And he's been teaching them something?" _Kakashi tuned back into their conversation. A kunai came flying out the window and almost hit him, which he took as his cue to leave. Naruto emanated light again and Kurama vanished. Kakashi left them to whatever they were doing.

* * *

The next day, Team Seven returned their training field. Team Ten was there. Or rather, Sasuke and Sakura were there. Choji was absent.

"Well, at least someone on their team has some sense," Shikamaru muttered.

"You think your all that!" Sasuke declared, "You're nothing compared to an Uchiha!" Naruto grinned ferally.

"I've wanted to fight," he said, "How nice of him to bring one to me." The others moved out of the way. Sasuke immediately charged toward Naruto.

"Geez, you're slow!" Naruto taunted, "Ino's much faster than you!" Sasuke growled. He attempted to punch the blonde, but Naruto caught the punch and launched Sasuke into the air. Naruto jumped after him and brought his forearm down on Sasuke's stomach sending him towards the ground. Naruto followed, hitting Sasuke a second time in the same place. The black haired boy rocketed into the ground. He leaned down to whisper in Sasuke's ear.

"You say your hatred is your strength. You don't know hatred." Naruto straightened and walked back to Shikamaru and Ino. Sakura ran out to check on Sasuke. Team Seven walked away. Sakura yelled at them about hurting Sasuke. Shikamaru looked back boredly.

"He'll be fine in time for the finals," he said. They left the training ground.

**Translations: **

**Jigoku Shokan no Jutsu-Hell Summoning Jutsu**

**That's a wrap! Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own Naruto.**

Chapter 9: Chuunin Exam Finals

The long month finally came to an end. The Chuunin Exam Finals were upon the village. The stadium was packed with civilians, foreign dignitaries and clan heads. Everyone was ready for genin to fight one another to become chuunin. A jounin stood in the arena with the genin who'd shown up. They were all there and waiting to fight.

"Alright, the first match is Hyuuga Neji vs. Uzumaki Naruto," the proctor announced. Naruto grinned savagely as the others went up to the Observation Deck.

"Do your best, Naruto!" Ino cheered as she walked by. Shikamaru just patted his shoulder and smirked. Naruto nodded.

Once the other participants were clear, the proctor called start.

"I don't know why you bother," Neji stated, "It is your destiny to lose." Naruto growled.

"Don't lecture me about destiny!" Naruto shouted as he charged the Hyuuga, his blade poised to swing. Neji leapt out of the way of the incoming strike and darted towards Naruto. However, it was cut short by a second swing from Naruto. Naruto stuck his sword in the ground and flew through a few hand signs.

"Ranton: Kaminari Parusu!" he declared. He thrust his hand forward, lightning arcing from his fingertips. Neji quickly dodged out of the way. Naruto smirked as he grabbed his sword from the ground and chased after the Hyuuga. Neji was forced onto the defensive and had started sweating.

"Wasn't it my destiny to lose?" Naruto mocked, slashing wildly. Neji growled. Naruto went to slash again when Neji spun himself in a circle and emitted chakra from all his tenketsu.

"Kaiten!" he yelled. Naruto's blade was repelled and he back flipped away to avoid being thrown to the ground. Neji came to a stop, smirking.

"There is no way a failure like you can defeat a genius like me," Neji said, "Failures will always be failures." Naruto growled, appearing bestial. A specific memory flashed in front of his eyes.

_Flashback_

_ Naruto was younger, about six. He had been strapped to a table and injected with a mysterious substance. All he knew was that it hurt. He begged for the pain to end. Finally it did._

_ "Looks like that serum was a failure," a doctor said. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief._

_ "Get the next serum ready," the doctor ordered, "We'll begin immediately." Naruto's eyes widened. He started panicking and thrashing. Guards rushed in to hold him down while a doctor administered the next serum._

_End Flashback_

Naruto dashed forward, moving almost as fast as Ino. His sword was a blur of motion that Neji could only keep up with because of his Byakugan.

"You think you're so special!" Naruto growled, "Let me guess. You were going to have some tragic reveal to prove your point about destiny and how it can't be changed. Well, suck it up! You're not the only one with a sad story!" Naruto abandoned his blade and began punching Neji recklessly. Even with the Byakugan, Neji was hard-pressed to dodge the blows. One caught him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Naruto stomped toward the Hyuuga, who'd started to get to his feet and back handed him back to the ground. He kicked the Hyuuga in the chest, sending him flying once again. Neji attempted to get up, but fell back down and started coughing up blood.

"This match is over," the proctor intervened, "The winner is Uzumaki Naruto." There were mixed reactions from the crowd, some were booing, some were cheering. Naruto went up to the Observation Deck as medics carried Hyuuga Neji to the infirmary.

"Sabaku no Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke," the proctor announced. Gaara waited on the Observation Deck for Sasuke to show up. Sasuke didn't show up and his match was postponed.

"Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino." Before either of them even went down to the arena, Kankuro forfeited.

"Sabaku no Kankuro forfeits. Aburame Shino wins." The crowd booed and threw things at the proctor.

"Sabaku no Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru." Temari immediately rode her fan down to the arena. Shikamaru performed a couple hand signs. He sank into his shadow and reappeared in the in the proctor's shadow.

"Let's get this going," Shikamaru said boredly.

"That's what I was going to say," Temari replied, smirking. The proctor called start and Shikamaru immediately began weaving hand signs.

"Yaton: Mahi," he murmured. Temari froze in her tracks.

"What…did…you…do?" she forced out. Shikamaru yawned.

"Just my paralysis jutsu," he replied. He walked over and put a kunai to Temari's throat.

"I win." The proctor called the match and Shikamaru returned to the Observation Deck. Temari recovered her composure and went to stand by her brothers.

"Yamanaka Ino vs. Kinuta Dosu." Ino smiled viciously. However, Dosu didn't appear in time, causing him to be disqualified. Ino pouted and glared at the proctor. Sasuke's match was back and the Uchiha finally appeared. Gaara went down to the arena. Shikamaru tilted his head slightly.

"Things are about to get interesting," he whispered to them.

**That's a wrap! Please review!**


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